Power Outage
by Tempest2004
Summary: A power outage at the loft leads to conversation and a brief revelation on Methos' more recent past. Non-Slash. Please R&R!


I mean absolutely no offense to the historical figures mentioned in this fic. I took a class on the history of Modern East Asia and this was partly fun to write and a way to remind myself of all the things I learned earlier this year. Anyway, I'm just trying to get back into the swing of writing Highlander. I just got five seasons and one best of collection on VHS, so I'm watching it as much as I can.

Disclaimer: Methos, Joe and Duncan belong to Davis/Panzer and I'm just borrowing them. Again, I meant absolutely no disrespect.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" Methos yelled indignantly as the power flickered off. Mac looked over at him.

"You did pay the electric bill, right?" Duncan asked. Methos shot him a withering glare.

"Well, gee, I knew there was something I'd forgotten to do." Methos snarled sarcastically. "Yes, I payed the damn electric bill!" Methos said as a particularly loud thunder clap sounded overhead.

"Guys, I think it was the storm." Joe said, as a bolt of lighting illuminated the sky over Seacouver.

"No kidding, Joe." Methos said.

"Hey, don't blame me! I don't control the weather!" Joe protested and Methos' shoulders slumped a little.

"I'm sorry, Joe. It was just getting to the good part!" Methos said and Mac scoffed.

"You've seen this movie a thousand times. And it wasn't even that great!" Duncan said, gesturing at the television, which sat innocently dark amidst the arguing.

"_Transformers_ is a great movie and I like the part with the rangers and Simmons," Methos said. "Keller was right." he said knowledgably. Joe laughed.

"What, you're gonna tell me you were a U.S. Army Ranger?" Joe asked. Methos grinned.

"6th battalion." he said proudly. "We never lost." Methos said.

"No kidding. Which war?" Joe asked, looking at his friend.

"Korea and Vietnam." Methos retorted. Joe snorted at him.

"Please, I was in Vietnam. I would have remembered you." Joe said, getting up to retrieve another beer.

"Rangers, Joe. Special forces. You wouldn't have seen us if we didn't want you too." Methos replied and Duncan shook his head.

"All right, so tell me, what inspired you to become an Army Ranger?" Duncan asked. "You've always avoided fights."

"I wanted Ho Chi Minh's head." Methos said, tipping his beer back. Duncan and Joe stared at him.

"You're kidding." Duncan said flatly. "Ho Chi Minh was not Immortal... Was he?" Duncan said. Methos grinned.

"In Vietnam in 1825, I was playing bodyguard to this young french noblewoman who wanted to come see the countryside." Methos paused, staring into the beer. "She was young, vivacious. A lot like..." he trailed meaningfully and both Duncan and Joe nodded. Alexa. "Anyway, we were walking through the market when I felt the presence of an Immortal. I hustled her into a french restaurant and told her to stay there. I stepped out and came face-to-face with a Vietnamese gentleman with a dao broadsword. We battled for a few moments, then the restaurant blew up. When I got back up, Minh, or Kisaan Nguyen as he was known, was laughing. Saying the french whore got what she deserved." Methos shook his head and finished his beer.

"Why'd you wait to get revenge?" Joe asked, sitting on the couch arm.

"Because he disappeared. Went underground and I couldn't find him. This was before I'd even heard of the Watchers, mind you. When I became a Methos chronicler, I went through Minh's records and took out the encounter, said it might have been a Methos encounter." he said, shrugging. "It wasn't until the war in Vietnam started that I realized who was behind the Viet Minh." Methos shrugged. "I dug up a photo, but it wasn't the same man I'd first encountered."

"Yeah, he was like, 80-something when the Viet Minh thing started." Joe said, shaking his head. Methos laughed.

"The leader of a nation and you think he couldn't find someone to take his picture for him? Come on, Joe." Methos said.

"So how did you get his head?" Duncan asked. Methos grinned.

"I managed to fudge the records and get assigned to the rangers, and we got close to his hiding place. We bunked down for the night and I slipped away from the group and slipped into his hiding place. Imagine the surprise in the morning to find the real Ho Chi Minh dead and beheaded. Of course, the world kept the image of the old man as Ho Chi Minh, wouldn't want them to think they were chasing the wrong man the whole time." Methos said. Joe slowly shook his head.

"You are some piece of work." Joe said, laughing. "I was in the jungle when Minh died. The report came over the radio." Joe said.

"That was three weeks after I took his head." Methos explained.

"Like I'm gonna believe that." Joe retorted.

"So, Ho Chi Minh was Immortal? Who's next, Stalin? Mussolini?" Duncan asked. Methos shook his head.

"No, they were just average mortals. Now, I was never really sure, 'cause I never met him, but Mao seemed like he might have been one of us..."

Please R&R!


End file.
